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YALE STUDIES IN ENGLISH 
 
 ALBERT S. COOK, Editor 
 
 LXIII 
 
 THE 
 
 OLD ENGLISH PHYSiOLOGUS 
 
 ii 
 
 TEXT AND PROSE TRANSLATION 
 
 BY 
 
 ALBERT STANBURROUGH COOK 
 
 Professor of the English Language and Literature in Yale University 
 VERSE TRANSLATION 
 
 BY 
 
 JAMES HALL PITMAN 
 
 Fellow in English of Yale University 
 
 NEW HAVEN : YALE UNIVERSITY PRESS 
 
 LONDON: HUMPHREY MILFORD 
 
 OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS 
 
 MDCCCXXI 0(2 
 
4p 
 
 mm 
 
 UML 30 1922 
 
 WEIMAR: PRINTED BY R. WAGNER SOHN. 
 
PREFACE 
 
 The Old English Physiologus, or Bestiary, is a series 
 of three brief poems, dealing with *the mythical traits 
 of a land-animal, a sea-beast, and a bird respectively, and 
 deducing from them certain moral or religious lessons. 
 These three creatures are selected from a much larger 
 number treated in a work of the same name which was 
 compiled at Alexandria before 140 B. C, originally in 
 Greek, and afterwards translated into a variety of lan- 
 guages — into Latin before 431. The standard form of the 
 Physiologus has 49 chapters, each dealing with a separate 
 animal (sometimes imaginary) or other natural object, 
 beginning with the lion, and ending with the ostrich; 
 examples of these are the pelican, the eagle, the phoenix, 
 the ant (cf. Prov. 6.6), the fox, the unicorn, and the 
 salamander. In this standard text, the Old English 
 poems are represented by chapters 16, 17, and 18, deal- 
 ing in succession with the panther, a mythical sea- 
 monster called the asp-turtle (usually denominated the 
 whale), and the partridge. Of these three poems, the 
 third is so fragmentary that little is left except eight 
 lines of religious application, and four of exhortation 
 by the poet, so that the outline of the poem, and especi- 
 ally the part descriptive of the partridge, must be con- 
 jecturally restored by reference to the treatment in the 
 fuller versions, which are based upon Jer. 17. n (the 
 texts drawn upon for the application in lines 5— n are 
 2 Cor. 6. 17, 18; Isa. 55.7; Heb. 2. 10, n). 
 
iv Preface 
 
 It has been said: 'With the exception of the Bible, 
 there is perhaps no other book in all literature that has 
 been more widely current in every cultivated tongue and 
 among every class of people.' Such currency might be 
 illustrated from many English authors. Two passages 
 from Elizabethan literature may serve as specimens — the 
 one from Spenser, the other from Shakespeare. The 
 former is from the Faerie Queene (i. n.34) : 
 
 At last she saw, where he upstarted brave 
 
 Out of the well, wherein he drenched lay; 
 
 As Eagle fresh out of the Ocean wave, 
 
 Where he hath left his plumes all hoary gray, 
 
 And deckt himselfe with feathers youthly gay, 
 
 Like Eyas hauke up mounts unto the skies, 
 
 His newly budded pineons to assay, 
 
 And marveiles at himselfe, still as he flies: 
 
 So new this new-borne knight to battell new did rise. 
 
 The other is from Hamlet (Laertes to the King) : 
 
 To his good friends thus wide I'll ope my arms; 
 And like the kind life-rendering pelican, 
 Repast them with my blood. 1 
 
 However widely diffused, the symbolism exemplified 
 by the Physiologus is peculiarly at home in the East. 
 Thus Egypt symbolized the sun, with his death at night 
 passing into a rebirth, by the phoenix, which, by a natural 
 extension, came to signify the resurrection. And the 
 Bible not only sends the sluggard to the ant, and bids 
 men consider the lilies of the field, but with a large sweep 
 commands (Job 12.7, 8) : 'Ask now the beasts, and they 
 shall teach thee ; and the fowls of the air, and they shall 
 tell thee ; or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee ; 
 and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee.' 
 
 1 Alfred de Musset, in La Nuit de Mai, develops the image of 
 the pelican through nearly thirty lines. 
 
Preface v 
 
 The text as here printed is extracted from my edition, 
 The Old English Elene, Phoenix, and Physiologus (Yale 
 University Press, 1919), where a critical apparatus may 
 be found ; here it may be sufficient to say that Italic 
 letters in square brackets denote my emendations, and 
 Roman letters those of previous editors. The trans- 
 lations have not hitherto been published, and no com- 
 plete ones are extant in any language, save those con- 
 tained in Thorpe's edition of the Codex Exoniensis, 
 which appeared in 1842. The long conjectural passage 
 in the Partridge is due wholly to Mr. Pitman. 
 
 A. S. C. 
 
 March 27, 1921. 
 
PHYSIOLOGUS 
 
PHYSIOLOGUS 
 
 I 
 THE PANTHER 
 
 Monge sindon geond middangeard 
 unrimu cynn, [para] pe we sejpelu ne magon 
 ryhte areccan ne rim wit an ; 
 ]D8es wide sind geond wor[w]l[d] innan 
 5 fugla and deora foldhrerendra 
 
 wornas widsceope, swa wseter bibuged 
 J)isne beorhtan bosm, brim grymetende, 
 sealtyjDa geswing. 
 
 We bi sumum hyrdon 
 wraetlic[wm] gecynd[<?] wildra secgan, 
 10 firum freamaerne, feorlondum on, 
 eard weardian, eSles neotan, 
 sefter dunscrafum. Is f>set deor Pandher 
 bi noman haten, pxs f>e nip{)a bear[n], 
 
 Many, yea numberless, are the tribes throughout the 
 world whose natures we can not rightly expound nor 
 their multitudes reckon, so immense are the swarms of 
 birds and earth-treading animals wherever water, the 
 roaring ocean, the surge of salt billows, encompasses 
 the smiling bosom of earth. 
 
 We have heard about one marvelous kind of wild 
 beast which inhabits, in lands far off, a domain renowned 
 among men, rejoicing there in his home amid the moun- 
 tain-caves. This beast is called panther, as the learned 
 
PHYSIOLOGUS 
 
 I 
 THE PANTHER 
 
 Of living creatures many are the kinds 
 Throughout the world — unnumbered, since no man 
 Can count their multitudes, nor rightly learn 
 The ways of their wild nature ; wide they roam, 
 These beasts and birds, as far as ocean sets 
 A limit to the earth, embracing her 
 And all her sunny fields with salty seas 
 And toss of roaring billows. 
 
 We have heard 
 From men of wider lore of one wild beast, 
 Wonderful dweller in a far-off land 
 Renowned of men, who loves his native glens 
 And dusky caverns. Him have wise men called 
 
4 The Panther 
 
 wisfaeste weras, on gewritum cyj)a[#] 
 15 bi J>am anstapan. 
 
 Se is se[g]hwam freond, 
 
 duguda estig, but an dracan anum ; 
 
 J)am he in ealle tid andwraQ leofaj), 
 
 {>urh yfla gehwylc Ipe he geaefnan maeg. 
 Daet is wraetlic deor, wundrum scyne, 
 20 hiwa gehwylces. Swa haeled secga5, 
 
 gaesthalge guman, J)aette Iosephes 
 
 tunece waere telga gehwylces 
 
 bleom bregdende, J)ara beorhtra gehwylc, 
 
 aeghwaes aenlicra, 5J)rum lixte 
 25 dryhta bearnum, swa {jobs deores hiw, 
 
 blaec, brigda gehwaas, beorhtra and scynra 
 
 wundrum Iixe5, f>a3tte wraetlicra 
 
 aeghwylc 5J)rum, »nlicra glen 
 
 and fsegerra, fraBtwum blice5, 
 30 symle sellicra. 
 
 He hafa5 sundorgecynd, 
 
 among the children of men report in their books con- 
 cerning that lonely wanderer. 
 
 He is a friend, bountiful in kindness, to every one 
 save only the dragon ; with him he always lives at enmi- 
 ty by means of every injury he can inflict. 
 
 He is a bewitching animal, marvelously beautiful with 
 every color. Just as, according to men holy in spirit, 
 Joseph's coat was variegated with hues of every shade, 
 each shining before the sons of men brighter and more 
 perfect than another, so does the color of this beast blaze 
 with every diversity, gleaming in wondrous wise so clear 
 and fair that each tint is ever lovelier than the next, 
 glows more enchanting in its splendor, more rare, more 
 beauteous, and more strange. 
 
 He has a nature all his own, so gentle and so calm is 
 
The Panther 
 
 The panther, and in books have told of him, 
 The solitary rover. 
 
 He is kind, 
 A bounteous friend to every living thing 
 Save one alone, the dragon ; but with him 
 The panther ever lives at enmity, 
 Employing every means within his power 
 To work him evil. 
 
 Fair is he, full bright 
 And wonderful of hue. The holy scribes 
 Tell us how Joseph's many-colored coat, 
 Gleaming with varying dyes of every shade, 
 Brilliant, resplendent, dazzled all men's eyes 
 That looked upon it. So the panther's hues 
 Shine altogether lovely, marvelous, 
 While each fair color in its beauty glows 
 Ever more rare and charming than the rest. 
 His wondrous character is mild, and free 
 
6 
 
 milde. gemetfs^- He is monjDwaere. 
 
 lufsum and leoftael : nele la{>es wiht 
 aVnsfum geaefnan biitan [)am attorsceapan, 
 lymgenitan. f>e ic aer fore saegde. 
 g Symle. fylle faegen. J>onne foddor J)iged, 
 aefter £>am gereorduxn seoed, 
 
 under dunscrafum ; 
 daer se £>eo[d]wiga preonihta faec 
 swifed on swe r o]fote. slaepe gebiesga[d]. 
 
 40 ponne ellenrof up astonded, 
 
 |)r\-mme gem lga[d], on pone pnddan daeg, 
 sneome of slaepe. eghleopor cym 
 
 w5j)a wynsumast. £>urh f>a?s wildres mud ; 
 aefter {)aere stefne stenc at cyme 5 
 
 45 of f>am wongstede — wynsumra steam, 
 swettra and swipra. swaecca gehwylcum, 
 \vyrta blostmum and \\*udubledum . 
 eallum SBpelicra eorpan fraetwfum]. 
 
 it. Kind, attractive, and friendly, he has no though" 
 of doing harm to any save the envenomed foe, hi 
 ancient adversary of whom I spoke. 
 
 When, delighting in a feast, he has partaken of food, 
 ever at the end of the meal he betakes himself to his 
 :ng-place, a hidden retreat among the mountain- 
 caves ; there the champion of his race, overcome by 
 sleep. abandons himself to slumber for the space of three 
 nights. Then the dauntless one, replenished with vigor, 
 straightway arises from sleep when the third day has 
 come. A melody, the most ravishing of strains, flows 
 from the wild beasts mouth: and, following the music, 
 there issues a fragrance from the place — a fume more 
 transporting, sweet, and strong than any odor whate- 
 than blossoms of plants or fruits of the forest, choicer 
 
The Panther 
 
 From all disturbing passion. Gracious, kind, 
 And full of love, he meditates no harm 
 But to that venomous foe, as I have told, 
 His ancient enemy. 
 
 Once he has rejoiced 
 His heart with feasting, straight he finds a nook 
 Hidden among dim caves, his resting-place. 
 There three nights' space, in deepest slumber wrapped, 
 The people's champion lies. Then, stout of heart, 
 The third day he arises fresh from sleep, 
 Endowed with glorv. From the creature's mouth 
 Issues a melody of sweetest strains ; 
 And close upon the voice a balmy scent 
 Fills all the place — an incense lovelier, 
 Sweeter, and abler to perfume the air, 
 Than any odor of an earthly flower 
 Or scent of wuodland fruit, more excellent 
 
8 The Panther 
 
 ponne of ceastrum and cynestolum 
 
 50 and of burgsalum beornf>reat monig 
 fara5 foldwegum folca J>ry{)um ; 
 eoredcystum, ofestum gefysde, 
 dareSlacende — deor [s]wa some — 
 aefter J>aere stefne on J)one stenc fara5. 
 
 55 Swa is Dryhten God, dreama Raedend, 
 eallum ea5mede of>rum gesceaftum, 
 duguSa gehwylcre, but an dracan anum, 
 at t res ordfruman — ]D8et is se ealda feond 
 J)one he gesaelde in susla grund, 
 
 60 and gefetrade fyrnum teagum, 
 
 bij>eahte {>reanydum ; and \>y f>riddan dsege 
 of digle aras, f)8es f>e he deaQ fore us 
 t>reo niht J>olade, peoden engla, 
 sigora Sellend. paet wa9S swete stenc, 
 
 65 wlitig and wynsum, geond woruld ealle. 
 SiJ>J)an to f>am swicce soSfaeste men, 
 
 than aught that clothes the earth with beauty. There- 
 upon from cities, courts, and castle-halls many companies 
 of heroes flock along the highways of earth ; the wielders 
 of the spear press forward in hurrying throngs to that 
 perfume — and so also do animals — when once the music 
 has ceased. 
 
 Even so the Lord God, the Giver of joy, is gracious to 
 all creatures, to every order of them, save only the dragon, 
 the source of venom, that ancient enemy whom he bound 
 in the abyss of torments ; shackling him with fiery fetters, 
 and loading him with dire constraints, he arose from 
 darkness on the third day after he, the Lord of angels, 
 the Bestower of victory, had for three nights endured 
 death on our behalf. That was a sweet perfume through- 
 out the world, winsome and entrancing. Henceforth, 
 
The Panther g 
 
 Than all this world's adornments. Then from town 
 And palace, then from castle-hall, come forth 
 Along the roads great troops of hurrying men — 
 The very beasts come also; all press on 
 Toward that sweet odor, when the voice is stilled. 
 
 Such as this creature is the Lord our God, 
 Giver of joys, to all creation kind, 
 To men benignant, save alone to him, 
 The dragon, author of all wickedness, 
 Satan, the ancient adversary whom, 
 Fettered with fire, shackled with dire constraint, 
 Into the pit of torments God cast down. 
 The third day Christ arose from out the grave, 
 For three nights having suffered death for us, 
 He, Lord of angels, he in whom alone 
 Is hope of overcoming. Far and wide 
 The tidings spread, like perfume fresh and sweet, 
 Through all the world. Then to that fragrance thronged 
 
io The Panther 
 
 on healfa gehwone, heapum {)rungon 
 geond ealne ymbhwyrft eorf>an sceat[a]. 
 Swa se snottra gecwaB5 Sanctus Paulus : 
 70 ' Monigfealde sind geond middangeard 
 god ungnyde J)e us to giefe dailed 
 and to feorhnere Faeder aelmihtig, 
 and se anga Hyht ealra gesceafta 
 uppe ge niftfe.' paet is aepele stenc. 
 
 through the whole extent of earth's regions, righteous 
 men have streamed in multitudes from every side to that 
 fragrance. As said the wise St. Paul : ' Manifold over the 
 world are the lavish bounties which the Father almighty, 
 the Hope of all creatures above and below, bestows on 
 us as grace and salvation/ That, too, is a sweet odor. 
 
The Panther n 
 
 From every side all men whose hearts were true, 
 Throughout the regions of the circled earth. 
 Thus spoke the wise St. Paul: 'In all the world 
 His gifts are many, which he gives to us 
 For our salvation with unstinting hand, 
 Almighty Father, he, the only Hope 
 Of all in heaven or here below on earth.' 
 This is that noble fragrance, rare and sweet, 
 Which draws all men to seek it from afar. 
 
II 
 
 THE WHALE (ASP-TURTLE) 
 
 Nu ic fitte gen ymb fisca cynn 
 
 wille woScrsefte wordum cy]Dan 
 
 Jmrh modgemynd, bi ]d am miclan hwale. 
 
 Se bi5 unwillum oft gemeted, 
 5 frecne and fer[A]dgrim, faredlaoendum, 
 
 nippa. gehwylcum ; J>am is noma cenned, 
 
 fyr[ge]nstreama geflotan, Fastitocalon. 
 Is J)ses hiw gelic hreofum stane, 
 
 swylce worie bi waedes of re, 
 10 sondbeorgum ymbseald, sasryrica msest, 
 
 swa J)aet wena{) waeglij)ende 
 
 J)a3t hy on ealond sum eagum wilt en ; 
 
 and J)onne gehyd[t]a5 heahstefn scipu 
 
 to J) am unlonde oncyrrapum, 
 15 s[^]laj) saemearas sundes set ende, 
 
 This time I will with poetic art rehearse, by means 
 of words and wit, a poem about a kind of fish, the great 
 sea-monster which is often unwillingly met, terrible and 
 cruel-hearted to seafarers, yea, to every man ; this 
 swimmer of the ocean-streams is known as the asp-turtle. 
 
 His appearance is like that of a rough boulder, as if 
 there were tossing by the shore a great ocean-reedbank 
 begirt with sand-dunes, so that seamen imagine they 
 are gazing upon an island, and moor their high-pro wed 
 ships with cables to that false land, make fast the ocean- 
 coursers at the sea's end, and, bold of heart, climb up 
 
II 
 
 THE WHALE (ASP-TURTLE) 
 
 Now will I spur again my wit, and use 
 Poetic skill to weave words into song, 
 Telling of one among the race of fish, 
 The great asp-turtle. Men who sail the sea 
 Often unwillingly encounter him, 
 Dread preyer on mankind. His name we know, 
 The ocean-swimmer, Fastitocalon. 
 
 Dun, like rough stone in color, as he floats 
 He seems a heaving bank of reedy grass 
 Along the shore, with rolling dunes behind, 
 So that sea-wanderers deem their gaze has found 
 An island. Boldly then their high-pro wed ships 
 They moor with cables to that shore, a land 
 That is no land. Still floating on the waves, 
 Their ocean-coursers curvet at the marge ; 
 
14 The Asp- Turtle 
 
 and Jxmne in J)aet eglond up gewitad 
 
 collenfer[/^]J)e ; ceolas stondad 
 
 bi staf>e faeste streame biwunden. 
 
 Donne gewiciao werigfer[/&]9e, 
 20 faroolacende, frecnes ne wenao. 
 On {Dam ealonde aeled weccad, 
 
 heah fyr ailaS. HaelejD beoj) on wynnum, 
 
 reonigmode, raeste gel[y]ste. 
 
 ponne gefele5 f acnes craeftig 
 25 {)83t him J)a ferend on faeste wuniaj), 
 
 wic weardiad, wedres on luste, 
 
 Sonne semninga on sealtne wseg 
 
 mid J)a no{)e ni{)er gewitej), 
 
 garsecges gaest, grund geseced, 
 30 and Jxmne in deaQsele drence bifaesteo 
 
 scipu mid scealcum. 
 
 Swa bib scinn[^n]a {)eaw, 
 
 deofla wise, J)aet hi droht[i]ende 
 
 t>urh dyrne meaht dugu5e beswica5, 
 
 and on teosu tyhtaj) tilra daeda, 
 35 wemaD on willan, J)aet hy wra{)e secen, 
 
 on that island ; the vessels stand by the beach, enringed 
 by the flood. The weary-hearted sailors then encamp, 
 dreaming not of peril. 
 
 On the island they start a fire, kindle a mounting flame. 
 The dispirited heroes, eager for repose, are flushed with 
 joy. Now when the cunning plotter feels that the seamen 
 are firmly established upon him, and have settled down 
 to enjoy the weather, the guest of ocean sinks without 
 warning into the salt wave with his prey (?), and makes 
 for the bottom, thus whelming ships and men in that 
 abode of death. 
 
 Such is the way of demons, the wont of devils : they 
 spend their lives in outwitting men by their secret power, 
 inciting them to the corruption of good deeds, misguiding 
 
The Asp- Turtle 15 
 
 The weary-hearted sailors mount the isle, 
 And, free from thought of peril, there abide. 
 
 Elated, on the sands they build a fire, 
 A mounting blaze. There, light of heart, they sit — 
 No more discouraged — eager for sweet rest. 
 Then when the crafty fiend perceives that men, 
 Encamped upon him, making their abode, 
 Enjoy the gentle weather, suddenly 
 Under the salty waves he plunges down, 
 Straight to the bottom deep he drags his prey ; 
 He, guest of ocean, in his watery haunts 
 Drowns ships and men, and fast imprisons them 
 Within the halls of death. 
 
 Such is the way 
 Of demons, devils ' wiles : to hide their power, 
 And stealthily inveigle heedless men, 
 Inciting them against all worthy deeds, 
 And luring them to seek for help and comfort 
 
1 6 The Asp- Turtle 
 
 frofre to feondum, oJ)J>33t hy faeste 5aer 
 set J)am waerlogan wic geceosad. 
 ponne J>8et gecnawe5 of cwicsusle 
 flah feond gemah, jDaette fira gehwylc 
 
 40 haele^a cynnes on his hringe bij) 
 faeste gefeged, he him feorgbona, 
 [)urh sli]?en searo, sij){>an weorf>e5, 
 wloncum and heanum pe his willan her 
 firenum fremma5 ; mid [)am he faeringa, 
 
 45 heolojjhelme bij)eaht, helle sece5, 
 goda geasne, grundleasne wylm 
 under mistglome, swa se micla hwael 
 se pe bisence6 saMipende 
 eorlas and y Smear as. 
 
 He hafaQ opve gecynd, 
 
 50 waeterjtisa wlonc, wraetlicran glen, 
 ponne hine on holme hungor bysga5, 
 and {xme aglaecan setes lystep, 
 5onne se mereweard mud ontyne5, 
 
 them at will so that they seek help and support from 
 fiends, until they end by making their fixed abode with 
 the betrayer. When, from out his living torture, the 
 crafty, malicious enemy perceives that any one is firmly 
 settled within his domain, he proceeds, by his malignant 
 wiles, to become the slayer of that man, be he rich or 
 poor, who sinfully does his will ; and, covered by his 
 cap of darkness, suddenly betakes himself with them to 
 hell, where naught of good is found, a bottomless abyss 
 shrouded in misty gloom — like that monster which 
 engulfs the ocean- traversing men and ships. 
 
 This proud tosser of the waves has another and still 
 more wonderful trait. When hunger plagues him on 
 the deep, and the monster longs for food, this haunter 
 of the sea opens his mouth, and sets his lips agape ; 
 
The Asp- Turtle 17 
 
 From unsuspected foes, until at last 
 
 They choose a dwelling with the faithless one. 
 
 Then, when the fiend, by crafty malice stirred, 
 
 From where hell's torments bind him fast, perceives 
 
 That men are firmly set in his domain, 
 
 With treachery unspeakable he hastes 
 
 To snare and to destroy the lives of those, 
 
 Both proud and lowly, who in sin perform 
 
 His will on earth. Donning the mystic helm 
 
 Of darkness, with his prey he speeds to hell, 
 
 The place devoid of good — all misty gloom, 
 
 Where broods a sullen lake, black, bottomless, 
 
 Just as the monster, Fastitocalon, 
 
 Destroys seafarers, overwhelming men 
 
 And staunch-built ships. 
 
 Another trait he has, 
 This proud sea-swimmer, still more marvelous. 
 When hunger grips the monster on the deep, 
 Making him long for food, his gaping mouth 
 The ocean- warder opens, stretching wide 
 
18 The Asp-Turtle 
 
 wide weleras ; cyme 5 wynsum stenc 
 55 of his innojje, Jjsette 6J>re {mrh Jxme, 
 
 saefisca cynn, beswicen weordaj). 
 
 Swimma3 sundhwate f)aer se sweta stenc 
 
 ut gewit[e]5. Hi jDser in farad, 
 
 unware weorude, offset se wida ceafl 
 60 gefylled bi5 ; jxmne f seringa 
 
 ymbe f>a herehuj)e hlemmeS togsedre 
 
 grimme goman. 
 
 Swa bij) gumena gehwam 
 
 se f>e oftost his unwserlice, 
 
 on J)as laenan tid, lif bisceawa5 : 
 65 laete5 hine beswican £>urh swetne stenc, 
 
 leasne willan, J)a?t he bij) leahtrum fah 
 
 wi5 Wuldorcyning. Him se awyrgda ongean 
 
 a3fter hinsl{)e helle ontyne5, 
 
 ])am {>e leaslice lices wynne 
 70 ofer ferh[5]gereaht fremedon on unraed. 
 
 ponne se faecna in J)am faastenne 
 
 gebroht hafad, bealwes cra3ftig, 
 
 whereupon there issues a ravishing perfume from his 
 inwards, by which other kinds of fish are beguiled. With 
 lively motions they swim to where the sweet odor comes 
 forth, and there enter in, a heedless host, until the wide 
 gorge is full ; then, in one instant, he snaps his fierce 
 jaws together about the swarming prey. 
 
 Thus it is with any one who, in this fleeting time, 
 full oft neglects to take heed to his life, and allows him- 
 self to be enticed by sweet fragrance, a lying lure, so that 
 he becomes hostile to the King of glory by reason of 
 his sins. The accursed one will, when they die, throw 
 wide the doors of hell to those who, in their folly, have 
 wrought the treacherous delights of the body, contrary 
 to the wise guidance of the soul. When the deceiver, 
 skilful in wrongdoing, hath brought into that fastness, 
 
The Asp- Turtle 19 
 
 His monstrous lips ; and from his cavernous maw 
 Sends an entrancing odor. This sweet scent, 
 Deceiving other fishes, lures them on 
 In swiftly moving schools toward that fell place 
 Whence comes the perfume. There, unwary host, 
 They enter in, until the yawning mouth 
 Is filled to overflowing, when, at once, 
 Trapping their prey, the fearful jaws snap shut. 
 
 So, in this fleeting earthly time, each man 
 Who orders heedlessly his mortal life 
 Lets a sweet odor, some beguiling wish, 
 Entice him, so that in the eyes of God, 
 The King of glory, his iniquities 
 Make him abhorrent. After death for him 
 The all-accursed devil opens hell — 
 Opens for all who in their folly here 
 Let pleasures of the body overcome 
 Their spirits' guidance. When the wily fiend 
 Into his hold beside the fiery lake 
 
20 The Asp- Turtle 
 
 get {)am [djdwylme, J)a J>e him on cleofiad, 
 gyltum gehrodene, and aer georne his 
 
 75 in hira lifdagum larum hyrdon, 
 
 ]Donne he f>a grimman goman bihlemmeS, 
 aefter feorhcwale, faeste togaedre, 
 helle hlindnru. Nagon hwyrft ne swice, 
 utsl]p aefre, ]?a [j>e] ]D33r in cumad, 
 
 80 Jxm ma pe ]?a fiscas, fara51acende, 
 of J)33s hwaeles fenge hweorfan motan. 
 ForJ)on is eallinga 
 
 dryhtna Dryhtne, and a deoflum wiSsace 
 85 wordum and weorcum, Ip&t we Wuldorcyning 
 geseon moton. Uton a sibbe to him, 
 on {>as hwilnan tid, haelu secan, 
 J)83t we mid swa leofne in lofe motan 
 to widan feore wuldres neotan. 
 
 the lake of fire, those that cleave to him and are laden 
 with guilt, such as had eagerly followed his teachings 
 in the days of their life, he then, after their death, snaps 
 tight together his fierce jaws, the gates of hell. They 
 who enter there have neither relief nor escape, no means 
 of flight, any more than the fishes that swim the sea can 
 escape from the clutch of the monster. 
 
 Therefore is it by all means [best for every one of us 
 to serve 1 ] the Lord of lords, and strive against devils with 
 words and works, that so we may come to behold the 
 King of glory. Let us ever, now in this fleeting time, seek 
 from him grace and salvation, that so with the Beloved 
 we may in worship enjoy the bliss of heaven for evermore. 
 
 1 Conjecturally supplied. 
 
The Asp-Turtle 21 
 
 With evil craft has led those erring ones 
 Who cleave to him, sore laden with their sins, 
 Those who in earthly life have hearkened well 
 To his instruction, after death close shut 
 He snaps those woful jaws, the gates of hell. 
 Whoever enters there has no relief, 
 Nor may he any more escape his doom 
 And thence depart, than can the swimming fish 
 Elude the monster. 
 
 Therefore it is [best 
 And 1 ] altogether [right for each of us 
 To serve and honor God, 1 ] the Lord of lords, 
 And always in our every word and deed 
 To combat devils, that we may at last 
 Behold the King of glory. In this time 
 Of transitory things, then, let us seek 
 Peace and salvation from him, that we may 
 Rejoice for ever in so dear a Lord, 
 And praise his glory everlastingly. 
 
 1 Conjecturally supplied. 
 
Ill 
 
 THE PARTRIDGE 1 
 
 Hyrde ic secgan gen bi sumum fugle 
 wundorlicne 3 
 
 faeger 
 
 ]38et word J)e gecwsed wuldres Ealdor : 
 5 'In swa hwylce tiid swa ge mid treowe to me 
 
 on hyge hweorfa5, and ge hellfirena 
 sweartra geswicaS, swa ic symle to eow 
 mid siblufan sona gecyrre 
 Jmrh milde mod ; ge beo5 me sij){>an 
 
 So, too, I have heard tell a wondrous [tale 2 ] about a 
 certain bird. 3 . . . fair the word 4 spoken by the King 
 of glory : ' At whatsoever time ye turn to me with faith 
 in your soul, and forsake the black iniquities of hell, 
 I will turn straightway to you with love, in the gentleness 
 of my heart ; and thenceforth ye shall be reckoned to 
 
 1 The partridge (like the cuckoo) broods the eggs of other birds. 
 When they are hatched and grown, they fly off to their true 
 parents. So men may turn from the devil, who has wrongfully 
 gained possession of them, to their heavenly Father, who will 
 receive them as his children. 
 
 2 Conjecturally supplied. 
 
 3 Gap in the manuscript, probably of considerable length. 
 
 4 Cf. 2 Cor. 6. 17, 18; Isa. 55. 7; Heb. 2. 10, 11. 
 
Ill 
 
 THE PARTRIDGE 
 
 About another creature have I heard 
 A wondrous [tale.] [There is] a bird [men call 
 The partridge. Strange is she, unlike all birds 
 In field or wood who brood upon their eggs, 
 Hatching their young. The partridge lays no eggs, 
 Nor builds a dwelling ; but instead, she steals 
 The well-wrought nests of others. There she sits, 
 Warming a stranger brood, until at last 
 The eggs are hatched. But when the stolen chicks 
 Are fledged, they straightway fly away to seek 
 Their proper kin, and leave the partridge there 
 Forsaken. In such wise the devil works 
 To steal the souls of those whose youthful minds 
 Or foolish hearts in vain resist his wiles. 
 But when they reach maturer age, they see 
 They are true children of the Lord of lords. 
 Then they desert the lying fiend, and seek 
 Their rightful Father, who with open arms 
 Receives them, as he long since promised them. 1 ] 
 
 Fair is that word the Lord of glory spoke : 
 'In such time as you turn with faithful hearts 
 To me, and put away your hellish sins, 
 Abominable to me, then will I turn 
 To you in love for ever, for my heart 
 Is mild and gracious. Thenceforth you shall be 
 
 i Conjecturally supplied, on the basis of other versions. 
 
24 The Partridge 
 
 10 torhte, tireadge, talade and rimde, 
 beorhte gebrojDor on bearna stael/ 
 
 Uton we £>y geornor Gode oliccan, 
 firene feogan, frizes earnian, 
 dugude to Dryhtne, penden us daeg seine, 
 15 f)aet swa sepelne eardwica cyst 
 in wuldres wlite wunian motan. 
 
 Finit. 
 
 me as glorious and renowned, as my illustrious brethren, 
 yea, in the place of children. 
 
 Let us therefore propitiate God with all zeal, abhor 
 evil, and gain forgiveness and salvation from the Lord 
 while for us the day still shines, so that thus we may, 
 in glorious beauty, inhabit a dwelling excellent beyond 
 compare. Finit. 
 
The Partridge 25 
 
 Refulgent, glorious, numbered with the host 
 Of heaven, and, instead of children, called 
 Bright brethren of the Lord/ 
 
 Let us by this 
 Be taught to please God better, hating sin, 
 And strive to earn salvation from the Lord, 
 His full deliverance, so long as day 
 Shall shine upon us, that we may at last 
 Inhabit heavenly mansions, nobler far 
 Than earthly dwellings, gloriously bright. 
 
 Finit. 
 
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